In collaboration with the Griffith Criminology Institute, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) today released a report which used criminal history data for 3 birth cohorts in New South Wales (NSW) to estimate the prevalence of recorded family and domestic violence offending.
The data for this study is based on offences recorded by the NSW Police Force for individuals who were proceeded against by police and who were born in one of 3 NSW birth cohorts (1984, 1994 and 2004).
6.3% of people born in NSW were found to have been proceeded against by police for a family and domestic violence offence by age 37. The rate was significantly higher for men at 9.6% (one in 10) who had been proceeded against for a family and domestic violence offence, compared with 3% of women (one in 33).
Overall, 1.2% of people born in New South Wales were responsible for more than 50% of recorded family and domestic violence offences. Further, family and domestic violence offenders accounted for nearly half of all recorded offences by people in the birth cohort.
AIC Deputy Director Dr Rick Brown said this report highlights the high prevalence of family and domestic violence perpetration reported to the police.
"By identifying and targeting those who commit domestic violence, especially early in their offending trajectory, we can not only reduce violence against intimate partners and family members but prevent crime more generally.
"This report is the first estimate of the prevalence of recorded family and domestic violence offending in a population sample in Australia, and is an important step towards increasing the visibility of family and domestic violence perpetrators," said Dr Brown.
The full report is available on the AIC website.
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